During the regular November Board of Trustees
meeting, Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD Administration and Board
members received a report from Woody Cox, Energy Specialist for
District, that the District’s partnership with Cenergistic has saved
more than $52,837 in the first nine months of its energy
conservation and management program. Cenergistic is a leading
behavioral and organizational behavior-based energy conservation
company whose energy management program has saved more than $3
billion for educational and complex organizations.

In addition, the energy conservation program
has also impacted our community with savings of 449,818 kWh in
electricity and 517 gallons of water. These savings are equal to 210
metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions being prevented, or 38 autos
off the highway annually or over 5,366 tree seedlings planted and
grown in ten years.

Together with Cenergistic, formerly Energy
Education, LCM CISD has built a customized and sustainable energy
conservation program that reduces consumption of electricity,
natural gas, fuel oil and water through changes in organizational
and human behavior. Its proven approach is built on a proprietary
methodology, which optimizes clients’ infrastructure, improves
internal processes and changes behavior to ensure that savings
endure. Cenergistic’s conservation experts are working closely with
personnel to audit buildings for most efficient operation and to
train personnel to control energy use wherever possible.

“I am grateful and excited by the energy
conservation success we have realized. Our partnership with
Cenergistic has led to a dramatic change in how we view energy
consumption. We have been implementing other cost effective
measures, but this program has taken us to a new level,” said Dr.
Pauline Hargrove, LCM CISD Superintendent. "We are always searching
for more revenue and this program is providing that now with
promises of much more to come. The practices being implemented can
be used anywhere, so we hope our efforts will improve energy
management for our District and the community."

Mr. Cox has received intensive training from
Cenergistic energy consultants to implement energy conservation
behavior and procedures throughout the system. To verify the
program’s effectiveness and measure its success, Woody tracks energy
consumption — including electricity, water, sewer, natural gas and
fuel oil — using third-party energy-accounting software. The
software compares current energy use to a baseline period and
calculates the amount of energy that would have been used if
conservation and management practices had not been implemented. It
adjusts for weather, equipment additions or deletions, and changes
in building use. By tracking consumption and analyzing energy use,
the software helps the organization and Cenergistic quickly identify
and correct energy consumption that needs to be addressed.

All costs of the Cenergistic program come from
the existing utility budget, with savings guaranteed to more than
pay for the program. Additional savings can be redirected to other
parts of the budget. Many organizations have credited this program
with helping keep personnel and maintain programs that otherwise
would have fallen victim to budget cuts. In addition, the
conservation program is sustainable for years. Cenergistic provides
free support after the paid term of the contract, as long as the
organization continues to implement the program. The energy savings
continue for many years.

Cenergistic’s innovative energy management
program trains client personnel to implement behavioral and
organizational change that substantially reduces energy consumption
without the purchase of new equipment. The program is funded solely
by the savings it generates, allowing clients to redirect saved
energy dollars to other priorities. In 26 years, Cenergistic has
worked with more than 1,250 educational and church organizations,
helping clients save over $3 billion in utility costs. Cenergistic
earned the 2011 and 2012 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award from
the United States Environmental Protection Agency and was named
ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for 2009 and 2010.